Aintree Peoples Race "Jockey/Farrier" Had Never Sat on a Racehorse Before...

Welsh farrier Mark Galliers DWCF is counting the days now until he will be put to the test in the ultimate racing "reality show." The Welsh farrier was chosen as one of ten jockeys out of 3500 applicants to race in the People's Race on Grand National Day at Aintree in England. The catch: all had to be amateurs. The prize: Almost $200,000 to the charity of the winning jockey's choice.

Mark is farrier at the raceyard of trainer Evan Williams, who is coaching him and providing his mount. Mark's winnings--if he can beat the pawnbroker, the bricklayer, the fireman and other non-jockeys--will go to a Welsh children's charity cancer.

The race sponsor produced this video about the selection process and followed the green jockeys through their crash (sometimes literally) course at the British Racing School in Newmarket.

You can place a bet at Ladbrokes OTB online; click through sports to racing to Grand National and then look for "Peoples Race." I'm not sure if you have to be in the UK to bet through Ladbrokes or not. The race will also be shown live on the BBC's telecast of the Grand National.

Here's a link to the latest reports on Mark's campaign to become super-fit and psyched to win:
http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=racing/07/04/11/RACING_Peoples_Galliers.html

Grand National Farrier/Jockey Journal Online

Mark Galliers is the Welsh farrier selected to become an overnight jockey sensation and ride on Grand National Day at Aintree this Saturday in a race that will donate almost $200,000 to the charity of his choice. If Mark wins, that money will go a children's cancer fund.

The Mirror newspaper in England has been publishing a journal of Mark's progress in riding up to 11 horses a day for trainer Evan Williams, who is his coach. Mark's also training on an Equiciser, which is a mechanical horse.

So far, I haven't found any mention of this being a reality television show, but it certainly sounds like one.

Mark's odds went from 3-1 yesterday to 8-1 today. One of the other riders must have received some good publicity! You can bet on Mark, if you can figure out if it's legal or not, through the Ladbrokes site. Speaking of odds, more than 3,500 people applied to ride in this race!

Mark is a Diplomate of the Worshopful Company of Farriers, and has been qualified in the UK since 1993. He's also a rugby player. I'm not sure if that would be a help or a handicap.

There are still something like 68 horses entered for the Grand National. I had never seen this race from start to finish,but last year the BBC posted the entire race video on their web site. It took something like nine minutes for the few horses that finished to get around the course.

Welsh Farrier Will Ride at Aintree on Grand National Day

Welsh farrier Mark Galliers is one of ten private citizens chosen from thousands of applicants to ride in The People's Race on Grand National Day (Saturday, April 14) at Liverpool, England's fabled Aintree racecourse.

Mark has turned into one of the favorites in the race after the following article appeared in England's widely read Sunday Mirror newspaper on April 1, 2007. The "John Smith's" referred to the article is the brewery sponsoring the race. Ladbroke's is a betting agency in England that is offering wagering on the ten less-than-novice riders. Here's the article that appeared on April 1 and shot Mark into the favorite's position:

Today, in conjuction with the Sunday Mirror, John Smith's reveals that Farrier Mark Galliers will have an extra spring in his step when he takes part in the John Smith's People's Race at Aintree on Saturday week. Because Galliers has invented a "go-faster" horseshoe that is set to revolutionise horse racing.

The new shoe is lighter and more aerodynamic. Unlike the traditional metal shoe, it is manufactured in a reusable heavy-duty plastic casing which is fitted with four simple AA batteries. When triggered from a remote-control device fitted behind the horse's head, the batteries send a soothing pulse to the hooves, which helps calm the animal and make it more receptive to the jockey's instructions.

Race sponsors John Smith's - whose brand logo incidentally features a horseshoe - are funding the project which is codenamed Pegasus.

Polar Foil, Galliers' mount in the John Smith's People's Race, will test the new footwear in the nine-furlong charity race on Grand National day at Aintree, with the horseshoe expected to be in general use by the end of the year.

Aintree Managing Director Charles Barnett has welcomed the innovation and it is understood that racehorse owners in the US have also expressed an interest in the new product.

The John Smith's People's Race will see 10 members of the public competing at Aintree on April 14 to win a share of the £100,000 charity prize donated by brewers Scottish Newcastle and Ladbrokes, the bookmaker.

(As said, this article was published in one of England's most popular newspapers on Sunday, April 1.)

Neurectomy Ethics Rear Up Again in California

Digital neurectomy, or "nerving", is a controversial procedure in the horse world, and always has been. It seems to be much more accepted in the western USA than in other places, but many horses, particularly with navicular-type pain, are "nerved" as a salvage procedure to allow them relief from the pain.

The controversy is more over how safe it would be to ride the horse after it has been nerved. I remember Montana farrier instructor/author/legend Scott Simpson lecturing on this subject at a Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium years ago. I wonder if I still have his paper. He had no qualms about roping competitively on a nerved horse.

Around here, some people would like to see a nerved horse branded so that if it changes hands, an unsuspecting rider won't be hurt if the horse stumbles. That said, it is a pretty common procedure. The veterinarian simply severs the branch of the nerves that sensitize the heel part of the foot.

A lawsuit has been reported in California; the story is posted on Bloodhorse.com today. Apparently an Arizona owner claimed a runner who turned out to be nerved and is suing the trainer (who is the son of a farrier) and veterinarian (who happens to be the veterinary officer for the state racing concerns and a former AAEP president). There are more familiar names in this story; the executive director of California's racing board is the wife of a well-known farrer.

The impetus for the lawsuit is not that the horse broke down or that an exercise rider was injured when the horse stumbled. Arizona has a law against nerved runners, so the horse was not allowed to enter a race. Period.

California has no such law. According to California law, the vet and trainer did nothing wrong; there is no law requiring disclosure of nerving on a sale horse or against allowing a nerved horse to race. (This is the same state that is banning toe grabs for welfare reasons.)

Read the full story by clicking here, and then come back to leave a comment (click on the comment button and type in the box) and let's here your two cents.

Dr. Chris Pollitt and Farrier Richard Hansen Will Tour New Zealand on Lecture Circuit

The New Zealand Equine Research Foundation is hosting Australian veterinarian and laminitis researcher Dr. Chris Pollitt and farrier Richard Hansen for a three-stop tour of laminitis education in May. The stops are at racecourses in Hamilton on May 20, Palmerston North on May 23, and Christchurch on May 27.

Lecture topics by Dr. Pollitt include: "The horse's foot - the inside story"; "Laminitis theory - shots around the target"; "Putting out the fire - laminitis prevention"; and "After the crash - lessons from chronic laminitis."

Topics by Richard Hansen: "Chains of Communication - Responsibilities when caring for the laminitic horse - a farrier's view": and "Supporting the Laminitic Horse - Making and applying support shoes."

Dr. Pollitt is professor of companion animal medicine and surgery at the University of Queensland in Australia and director of the Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit.

Richard Hansen is the president of the Australian Farriers and Blacksmiths Association, and the author of Australia's first national certification testing program, which will be launched soon.
The lectures are sponsored by Bomac Laboratories. For more information, call Bev Stern at 06 356 4940 or fax 06 354 2885.

Cushings Medication "Pergolide" Will Be Withdrawn from US Market, FDA Says

Horse people in the USA know pergolide (also called Permax, when the brand name is used) as the medication of choice for many horses suffering from Cushing's disease. What many in the horse world don't know is that it is actually a human medication used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Recently, reports have surfaced of heart problems developing in human patients. Acting on those reports, the FDA today announced that the drug--both Permax and pergolide generic derivatives--will no longer be sold in the US.

What does that mean to owners of horses with Cushing's disease? It's hard to say. I have been trying to get more information to share.

As always, Eleanor Kellon VMD is right on the case. Dr Kellon is veterinary consultant to the Equine Cushings discussion list on yahoo.com; the list currently boasts almost 5000 members, of which I am one, and the group is one of the fairest, best-informed and most diligent that I have found on the web. Obviously many of those 5000 are medicating their horses with pergolide and this is Big News on the List today.

Here is some sage advice from Dr Kellon: "First, don't panic.Many drugs that fall by the wayside for human use actually end up in veterinary use. Trental (pentoxifylline) is a good example. They're not approved for veterinary use, but the FDA grants veterinarians considerable leeway in 'off-label' (i.e. not approved for the use on
the label) drug prescribing in animals.

"There may be some information available on closely related alternatives," she continued. "I'm checking into that."

"In humans, most recent studies are finding about 22% of people on pergolide develop some level of dysfunction of their heart valves. The number that develop serious problems with it is much, much lower. As for horses **as far as we know, the has not been recognized as a clinical problem in horses on pergolide**. We probably have more
long term follow up on Cushing's horses here than even in university vet school records. Some horses here have been on it for 5, even 10 years."

Dr.Kellon is also the author of the reference book Equine Drugs and Vaccines, as well as Equine Supplements and Nutraceuticals, both of which are well-thumbed and never far from my desk.